Lawyers for Miss Y seek HSE report on legal review of her case

Lawyers for 'Miss Y', the teenage asylum seeker at the centre of last year's abortion controversy, are asking the HSE for a copy of a review it commissioned into the legal strategy adopted in the case.

The young woman’s solicitor Caoimhe Haughey has written to Health Minister Leo Varadkar saying that the HSE, which has commissioned the review, is failing to engage on its findings

Lawyers for 'Miss Y', the teenage asylum seeker at the centre of last year's abortion controversy, are asking the HSE for a copy of a review it commissioned into the legal strategy adopted in the case.

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Lawyers for Miss Y seek HSE report on legal review of her case

Independent.ie

Lawyers for 'Miss Y', the teenage asylum seeker at the centre of last year's abortion controversy, are asking the HSE for a copy of a review it commissioned into the legal strategy adopted in the case.

The young woman's solicitor Caoimhe Haughey has written to Health Minister Leo Varadkar saying that the HSE, which has commissioned the review, is failing to engage on its findings.

The Miss Y case caused outrage after it emerged that although deemed suicidal she faced a series of delays in securing a termination under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013.

She eventually had her baby delivered by caesarean section at around 26 weeks.

The review of the legal strategy employed by the HSE in her case was commissioned 18 months ago. Her legal advisers have now questioned why it has taken so long and why they have not received a draft copy.

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The HSE said yesterday that the report is now "well-advanced" but more time was needed to complete it.

The terms of reference do not require a copy of the report to be provided to Miss Y's lawyers.

Ms Haughey said that Miss Y remains under medical care with her medical team.

Miss Y 's baby is in care until June 2017.

Some 26 pregnancies were terminated last year under Ireland's new abortion laws.

Of these 23 pregnancies were ended due to the risk to the life of the mother from physical illness, with nine of these done in an emergency. Three pregnancies were ended as the pregnant woman was at risk of suicide.

One request for an abortion due to physical illness was turned down, according to the first annual report on the workings of the 2013 Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act.